[Alex Miller]

So I was sitting in class today thinking about template holes, yeah that's just how I am, and I think to myself, Can you combine template holes? How would that look?

Well the two most recognizable and copyable template holes seem to be the biarritz and the redan. I decided to sketch out an image featuring my interpretation of combing the two holes. Obviously it's possible to overlay two different things and call them a hybrid, but I don't think that's enough.

I wanted to make sure that in my version the playing characteristics (which really define template holes for me) remained true to the originals. So, I give you my Biarridan! I drew it on the inside of my notebook and it's not the prettiest piece of art out there, it's certainly no Nick Campinelli rendering, but I hope you can interpret it and give me your thoughts. Could this design work? Has it been tried before?









P.S. I tried (not very hard) to add some interest to the front of the green so it could be pinnable and a suitable challenge too.

[Scott Warren]

A great idea, you could argue it has sort of been done before - the second shot to 15 at Riviera is a sort of Reverse Biarredan!

[Alex Miller]

Scott, that's an interesting take on 15 there, and I see your point. I've played that hole too and see where you could call it a Biarredan.

However, while a good green, it doesn't exactly play like either template hole, in fact it plays closer to a double plateau than anything else.

[Kevin Lynch]

Yes - at Coudersport Golf Club in NW Pennsylvania.  

I had a thread on this course in August, but the 3rd Hole features a Biarritz green with bunker on the inside left, followed by a severe drop-off to the left towards OB.  To avoid these troubles, there is a slope to the right of the green which can be used as a kick-board (it's effectiveness depends on whether the maintenance crew is maintaining the rough at the proper height).

I wish I had better pictures, but these are scans from old film photos.

From behind the green, you can see the deep indentation in the middle (there is a small pot bunker on the right of the picture).


From the right of the fairway, you can see the sever drop to the left, and the "kick-board" bank to the right of the breen.

[Alex Miller]

Thanks Kevin.

How long is the hole, does it actually play as a redan/biarritz? The green looks fairly small.

I like the kickboard on the rightside, it makes it play as almost a double redan/biarritz because both plateaus can have the ball run on from short right.

[Bill_McBride]

We have a reverse Redan with a Biarritz-style swale at Pensacola CC, #7.  It's our #1 handicap hole, 245 tips, 215 blues, 195 whites.

Here's a view from the forward tee.  The front left kicker is subtle but effective.  The swale is probably 15" deep and tough to get close when the pin is down there.  The OOB is very close on the left.



Here's the green with the pin cut on the back tier behind the swale.  This pin position adds 10 yards to the hole length.

[Alex Miller]

So it seems most iterations of the biarridan have incorporated the redan in front and the biarritz toward the back, yes?

Bill, your hole almost has some road qualities to it as well. Well, reverse-road hole qualities. Thanks for sharing it!

[Bill_McBride]

So it seems most iterations of the biarridan have incorporated the redan in front and the biarritz toward the back, yes?

Bill, your hole almost has some road qualities to it as well. Well, reverse-road hole qualities. Thanks for sharing it!

Good call, Alex.  You can just make out the deep bunker front right, could be a Road Bunker.

[Kevin Lynch]

Thanks Kevin.

How long is the hole, does it actually play as a redan/biarritz? The green looks fairly small.

I like the kickboard on the rightside, it makes it play as almost a double redan/biarritz because both plateaus can have the ball run on from short right.

Here are some additional views -

Here's the view from the tee:


Here's the view from the left side of the fairway:



Actually, this hole is played using the slopes the whole length, as you can see from the tee.  There are kickboards to use off the tee, just short of the green, as well as directly to the side of the green.

The hole plays only 322 yards, all downhill.  If you are very confident in your driver, you can try and carry it 270 to the right side and have it kick forward to the green.  However, the penalties on the hole are very severe.  Pull it at all, and it will kick down to the road (used to be treated as OB, but may have been revised in recent years to be a hazard).  If you hit your approach just short left or pin high left, it will kick over the road.

Once in the fairway, you can either:
A) Take off some trajectory and kick it off the slope well short of the green and let it run up to the first tier or through the swale to the back tier.  

B) Another option is to fly the ball closer to pin high distance to the right and have it kick straight left towards the respective pin.  However, this option is less reliable as the slope is a little softer directly to the right of the green.  If the ground is a little softer or rough kept too high, it may not feed all the way down.

C) Fire away at your pin!  As you noted, it is a small green, but you generally have a short iron in hand.  The real danger here is that you usually have a lie with the ball above your feet, and the death shot is left.

All-in-all, this hole is a hidden gem that I love.  Whether this hole is a True "Redan" or "Biarritz" - I await an education from the group.

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